Lakeside

Lakeside has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. It sits in the western foothills of the Cuyamaca Mountains, inland from the coast.

Three large reservoirs, Lake Jennings, El Capitan Reservoir and San Vicente Reservoir, are in the Lakeside area and are used for fishing and boating.

The Kumeyaay people lived here before European contact. Lakeside was later part of Rancho El Cajon, the Mexican-era grant held by the family of Miguel de Pedrorena.

In 1886, the El Cajon Valley Land Company bought about 6,600 acres around Lindo Lake and promoted the land as a town. It built the Lakeside Hotel, an 80-room Victorian-style inn, for about $50,000. The town joined the railroad system in 1889, and small businesses began to open.

In 1904, John H. Gay bought the hotel and fenced off the lake park. He built a racetrack for cars and horses, which opened in 1907 when Barney Oldfield set a land speed record there. The inn and the track drew crowds by train.

In the middle of the 20th century, Native American, Spanish-speaking, Filipino and Okie communities became important parts of the population. The Lakeside Historical Society works to preserve the buildings of the former downtown on Maine Avenue, which is now separate from the central business area.

Lakeside calls itself a cowboy town and a rodeo town. It has ranches, many horses and a rural feel. The Lakeside Rodeo Grounds cover 8 acres and are run by the all-volunteer El Capitan Stadium Association, which gives money from rentals to youth sports, service and education grants.

The Lakeside Rodeo is sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and is usually held in late April. The Lakeside Optimists also hold a bulls only rodeo in October.

Lake Jennings is a fishing lake. El Capitan and San Vicente reservoirs also allow boating activities such as wakeboarding. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks the reservoirs with fish, including largemouth bass, catfish and rainbow trout.

Land parks with hiking, biking and horse trails include River Park along the San Diego River, the park around Lindo Lake, and Stelzer and El Monte County Parks. The trailhead for El Cajon Mountain is in Lakeside. Locals call the peak El Capitan because it looks like the cliff in Yosemite. The Walker Preserve Trail from Santee continues east into Lakeside.

El Capitan High School opened in 1959 and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Public middle schools include Tierra del Sol and Lakeside Middle School. Elementary schools include Riverview, Lakeview, Lemon Crest, Eucalyptus Hills, Lakeside Farms and Lindo Park.

River Valley Charter School is a charter option, and Foothills Christian Schools runs a private elementary campus. Local groups include Kiwanis, Elks, 4-H, FFA, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and the town has youth soccer, baseball and football leagues.